This invention relates to a communication terminal apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of sending and receiving e-mails.
A multifunction device capable of sending and receiving e-mails as well as scanning and forming images has a so-called scan-and-e-mail function for sending scanned image data as image files attached to an e-mail. The scan-and-e-mail function is frequently used by users, and is one of the functions having high utility value. The scan-and-e-mail function enables the user of the multifunction device to attach scanned image data as image files to an e-mail with the user's own e-mail address specified as the recipient's e-mail address Thus, the user can easily store the received image files in a PC or server, forward the files, and as such.
The scan-and-e-mail function requires a document to be scanned for the generation of image data by the multifunction device and an e-mail address to be specified as the recipient's e-mail address with the multifunction device. To obtain the recipient's e-mail address, generally employed are methods such as follows: that the e-mail address is directly input with the use of operation buttons provided with the multifunction device when the e-mail is sent; that e-mail addresses expected to be specified as recipient's e-mail addresses are previously stored in the multifunction device as an e-mail address list so that the user may select a particular e-mail address from the list when the e-mail is sent, as described in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Publication H05-316145; and that the user pushes a one-touch button previously setting a particular e-mail address with the multifunctional device.
With the direct input method as described above, however, the user is required to input a complicated e-mail address, character by character, in alphabet with the use of the operation buttons provided with the multifunction device. Even with the method of selecting an e-mail address from the list or the method of pushing the one-touch button, the user is required to input complicated e-mail addresses, character by character, in alphabet with the use of the operation buttons provided with the multifunction device at the time of previously registering e-mail addresses. That is, whichever of these prior art methods is employed, the user is required to directly input e-mail addresses by pushing the operation buttons provided with the multifunction device.
This invention has been made to solve such problem that no matter which of the above methods is employed, the user is required to input complicated e-mail addresses, character by character, in alphabet by pushing the operation buttons provided with the multifunction device so as to specify a recipient's e-mail address.